Saint Charles

The city was founded circa 1769 as Les Petites Côtes, or "The Little Hills" in French. It was the starting point of the Boone's Lick Road to the Boonslick. The Lewis and Clark Expedition considered this settlement the last "civilized" stop before they headed upriver to explore the western territory that the United States acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase. The city served as the first Missouri capital from 1821 to 1826. It is the site of the Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne shrine. St. Charles is the third-oldest city in Missouri. The name of the town, San Carlos, was anglicized to St Charles. The first church, built in 1791, was Catholic and dedicated to the Italian saint Charles Borromeo, under the Spanish version of his name, The town became known as San Carlos del Misuri ("St. Charles of the Missouri"). It is located on the Missouri River, near St. Louis. The population was 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St.Charles the ninth-largest city in. Missouri. For a time, it played a significant role as a river port in the U.S. westward expansion, including trade with Native American tribes on the upper Missouri River. In 1804, William Clark arrived in St Charles on May 16, 1804 with 40 men and three boats; they made final preparations for their major cross-country expedition. During this time, the townspeople were hospitable to the national expedition.

History

Saint Charles is the primary city name, but also Cottleville, Saint Peters, Weldon Spring are acceptable city names or spellings, St Peters, Weldon Spring Heights on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. St. Charles was the first European-American settlement in Missouri. It was named after a French Canadian, Blanchette Chasseur, who settled there in 1769. William Clark arrived in St. Charles on May 16, 1804. The first church, built in 1791, was Catholic and dedicated to the Italian saint Charles Borromeo. The Missouri government continued to meet there until buildings were completed in Jefferson City in 1826. In the post World War II era, the federal government undertook a major program of interstate highway construction in the area. A state marker is displayed with a state highway logo, off Interstate 70 going westbound, to the First Capitol, right to the right exit of First Capitol State Historic Site. The town became known as San Carlos del Misuri ("St.Charles of the Missouri"). The original location of the church is not known but a replica has been built just off Main Street. The name of the town, San Carlos, was anglicized to St.Charles or San Carlos de la Misuri (Spanish for "St. Carlos of Missouri" or "San Carlos de La Misuri" in Spanish). The town is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, near the town of Franklin, Missouri. The city is home to the Missouri State Capitol State historic site. The state capital, Jefferson City, is located in the center of the state, overlooking the Missouri River. It is where the first interstate highway project was started in the post-WWII era.

Government

St. Charles is a charter city under the Missouri Constitution, with a City Council as the governing body. One member is elected for each of the ten wards, in an arrangement known as single-member districts, and each serves a three-year term. The executive head of the City government is the Mayor for all legal and ceremonial purposes. The current mayor is Dan Borgmeyer; he was sworn in on May 7, 2019. The Mayor appoints the members of the various Boards, Commissions, and Committees created by ordinance. The mayor is elected at-large for a four-yearterm, and the City Council elects one member for each ward. The City Council is made up of seven members, with the Mayor serving as the presiding officer for the first three years of each term.

Education

The City of St. Charles School District has six elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. The city is also served by Jefferson Intermediate, which has all 5th and 6th grade classes, and Hardin Middle School. A variety of private schools also operate here, each affiliated with a religious denomination. Lindenwood University is one of the fastest-growing universities in the Midwest, enrolling close to 15,000 students. The top employers in the city are:Pharma Medica, a contract research and biotechnology corporation, opened its first U.S. location in 2013 in St Charles. Its goal was to create 320 high tech jobs by early 2017. St.Charles is home to the Lewis & Clark Career Center, which is located at 2400 Zumbehl Road. It is also the home of the radio station 89.1 The Wood (KCLC), a commercial-free student-driven radio station with a student-friendly, commercial-only format. It was founded by Major George Sibley and his wife Mary in 1827 as a women's school namedLindenwood School for Girls. The institution is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Mississippi River. The school is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, and is located on Kingshighway, near downtown St Charles and St Charles High. St Charles was also home to St Charles College (which should not be confused with St Charles Community College), and Vatterott College.

Recreation and development

St. Charles lies near the eastern end of the Katy Trail, a 225-mile (362 km) long state park that was adapted from railroad right-of-way. The phrase "Golden Triangle" was coined by developers of this area in the 1980s, referring to the St. Charles County region bordered by highways Interstate 70, Interstate 64, and Route 94. The Family Arena, a county-owned 11,000-seat venue, was built in 1999 near the Missouri River. The city has many special events and features related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 2007, the city served as the stage 5 final for the 2007 Tour of Missouri. Since 2015, walking food tours on Historic Main Street can be taken through the company Dishing Up America. These tours take customers to the locally famous restaurants in the city. The City has a historic shopping district on Main Street. Numerous restored buildings house such tourist destinations as restaurants and various specialty stores. It does not offer a public golf course, but has an off-leash dog park on the north side of the city as a part of DuSable Park-Bales Area in November 2006. It is used by minor league sports franchises and hosts concerts and events. The St.Charles Convention Center brings visitors, meetings and events to the city, as well as the city's annual World Series of Poker. It also hosts the Missouri State Fair, which is one of the largest state fairs in the U.S.

Sports

The Missouri River Otters hockey team of the United Hockey League, played from 1999 until the team folded in 2006. The RiverCity Rage professional indoor football team played in St. Charles from 2001 until 2005, and from 2007 to 2009 before suspending operations for 2010. The St. Louis Ambush is a professional indoor soccer team that plays in the Family Arena. Since 2014 there is a new minor league soccer team in town, the St. Louie Ambush. The city has been home to several minor league sports teams, including the St Louis Cardinals, St Louis Blues, and St Louis Spirits. The City of St Louis is home to the National Football League's Kansas City Monarchs and the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. The team is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and plays its home games at the KFC Yum! Center. It also has a minor league baseball team, the Kansas City Royals, which has played in the Missouri Valley Football League and Missouri Valley Soccer League. It has also had a professional football team called the River City Rage, which played from 2001 to 2005 and from 2009 to 2010. It played at the 11,000-seat Family Arena until 2010 when it moved to a new facility. It is now home to a professional soccer team called St.Louis Ambush, which plays at the FamilyArena. It was founded in 2014 and plays in a different arena. The Ambush are currently in their second season of professional soccer. They are currently playing in the National Premier Soccer League's Midwest Division.

Riverfront St. Charles

The Riverfront and Main Street area in the St. Charles Historic District is a central gathering place and focal point for the community. Each block features shops, restaurants, and offices frequented by visitors and locals. Much is planned for the development and improvement of the area, including a northward extension of the Katy Trail, residential and commercial development, parking garage expansion, casino expansion, and development of hotels. The "Christmas Traditions Festival", one of the nation's largest Christmas festivals, takes place on the streets of St.Charles annually. Missouri Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish American Heritage and Culture held each spring, coinciding as closely as possible with April 6. This is the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. The Founding Fathers are said to have drawn from this document in drafting our own Constitution. The Missouri River Irish Festival is held every September in Frontier Park and on Main Street to celebrate Irish Heritage with music, dancing, storytelling, athletics, food, and fun. The MOSAICS Fine Art Festival is also held on Historic Main Street each September to showcase local, regional and national artists. On the Fourth of July fireworks displays draw large numbers on two nights, July 4 and another night before or after the Fourth. Many vendors sell beer and other German goods at Oktoberfest, held near the river, which includes a parade. The Fete de Glace is an ice-carving competition and demonstration held on North Main Street in mid-January.

Sister cities

Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany since 1996. Carndonagh, County Donegal, Ireland since 2012. Inishowen, Ireland from 2018. Carandonagh is in the Republic of Ireland. Carindonagh has a sister city in Ludwigsberg, Germany. Carrandonagh and Ludwigburg are sister cities in Germany and Germany respectively. Carrdonagh was the first sister city of Ludwiggburg in 1996. The two cities have been sister cities since the 1990s. CarNDonagh had a sister town in Ludwig, Germany from 1996 to 2012. The sister city was Carnd onagh in Ireland from 2012 to 2018. InISHowen has a twin city with LudwIGSburg in Germany since 2018. The twin city is InishOWen in Ireland since 2018 and Ludwig in Germany from 1997 to 2014. Carundonagh also has a brother city in CarndOnagh, Ireland, from 2012-2014. The city of CarndONAGH in Ireland is sister city to Ludwiga, Germany, from 1996-2012. Inishesowen was sister city with Carndonsburg in 2013-2014, and LudWigsburg in 2014-2015. Carrenonagh in Germany is sister cities with CarndonAG in Ireland, since 2012-2015, and Inishowsen in 2015-2018. Carrendonagh in Germany, Ireland and Germany, since 2014-2016, and Germany since 2016.

Transportation

The "St. Charles City Streetcar" was a proposed new heritage streetcar line to be built connecting the New Town, Missouri residential development to the heart of the city of St. Charles. A minimum of nine vintage PCC streetcars had been purchased from the San Francisco area by Whittaker Builders for use and spare parts. The project stalled, and in 2012, the streetcars were scrapped following a fire. The developer of the NewTown project and principal partner with the city on the streetcar project, has since gone bankrupt, sealing the project's doom. According to the FHA, St.Charles was the site of the first interstate highway project in the nation. Major highways include Interstates 64 and 70, Missouri 370, Missouri 94, and Missouri 364. The line was supposed to connect New Town to the city's central business district, but the project was scrapped after the developer of New Town went bankrupt and the city was unable to find a buyer for the vintage streetcars. It is not known if the line will ever be built again. It was a joint effort between Whittakers Builders, Inc, and the City of St Charles and St. Louis Area Transit. The city was to build the line in the 1960s and 1970s, but it was never completed. It will be remembered as one of the most important cities in Missouri in the 1970s and 1980s, and was the first city to build a high-speed rail line to the U.S.

Geography

St. Charles is located about 20 miles northwest of St. Louis. The city has a Köppen humid subtropical climate. It has warm and humid summers (eventual hot days) and cool winters (with short cold spells possible sometimes) Spring is the wettest season on average in the city. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city's area to be 24.03 square miles (62.24 km²), of which 23.65 sq miles (61.25 km²) is land and 0.38sq miles (0.98 km²") is water. It is located on the Missouri River, which flows through the city and into the Mississippi River. The river is a tributary of the Mississippi, which runs through St. Charles. The Mississippi River is the main water supply for the city, and runs through the center of the town. It also runs through a section of the city that is known as the Little Mississippi River, where it flows into the Little Piney River. It was named after a small town in the town of Saint Charles, Missouri, which was once part of the Missouri Territory. The town's name is derived from the town's Dutch-language name, which means "little river" or "little stream". The city's name comes from the Dutch word for "river" or, in English, "little water". It is also known as "Charles" and "Charlesville" for "little town".

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Saint Charles, Saint Charles County, Missouri = 20.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 41. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Saint Charles = 4.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 70,493 individuals with a median age of 36.9 age the population grows by 4.48% in Saint Charles, Saint Charles County, Missouri population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,800.79 residents per square mile of area (1,081.40/km²). There are average 2.3 people per household in the 26,248 households with an average household income of $54,614 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.10% of the available work force and has dropped -3.51% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.88%. The number of physicians in Saint Charles per 100,000 population = 107.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Saint Charles = 37.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 13.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 94. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 202. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 20.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 34, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Saint Charles, Saint Charles County, Missouri which are owned by the occupant = 61.79%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 26 years with median home cost = $150,880 and home appreciation of -9.72%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.39 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,864 per student. There are 22.2 students for each teacher in the school, 720 students for each Librarian and 372 students for each Counselor. 6.34% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.09% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.60% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).